Isso

Chocolatier and chef, Gerard Mendis, partners with Coca-Cola to seek out the best food to enjoy with a refreshing, cold Coke. Join Gerard as he visits some of Colombo’s top restaurants and chats with their chefs. This week, Gerard goes “prawn-crazy”.

Coke and seafood are a match made in heaven, with the freshness of Coke amplifying the salty sweetness of seafood. Isso is a restaurant that focuses almost entirely on prawns and, having heard great things, I visited Isso, and its Chef Nishantha Indrajith to see just Isso and Coke create their own match made in heaven.

“Prawn-crazy” as ever, Isso put up a crazy spread, taking me through their most popular meals. 

Spoiled for choice, my favourite Isso dishes were the Baked Crab, the Isso Biriyani, and the Northern Twist. The Northern Twist is Isso’s most popular menu item and I can see why. A delicately flavourful authentic family recipe superbly executed by Chef Indrajith and his team, the mix of unique Jaffna spices in this curry made this one to remember. 

The dish of the night, to me, was the Baked Crab. What made this dish special was the truffle oil Chef Indrajith used, giving the dish a mouthwatering smoky yet umami flavour. Another favourite of mine was the Isso Burger, with a unique, breadcrumbed patty stuffed with whole prawns in a technique that resembles a schnitzel. The patty was wonderfully crunchy and flavorful. A definite must-try. 

Call me old-fashioned, but biriyani will always be the ultimate Coke pairing, and while a Coke goes brilliantly with almost all Isso’s food, I would say Isso’s best dish to savour with an ice-cold Coke is their refreshingly subtly-flavoured Isso Biriyani. A touch of rosewater gives this biriyani a unique flair making you think of North India and the Middle East. 

Prawn-tastic

As a first-time visitor to Isso, I can safely say that Isso was my catch of the day, with a wonderfully flavourful take on seafood for any foodie. Join me next time as I tour the flavours of Italy with a chilled Coke in hand.